Mike Glasscott

Range Rover

The Village People

Zach Johnson: If I’m looking for a guy who’s getting ready to break out, I’ll look to Johnson this week after his podium finish (third) last week on the Bentgrass greens at Colonial. He was also T5 in GIR last week and that won’t hurt around Muirfield Village. His lack of course history could be a concern but I’ll take the hot play over course form any week.

Jimmy Walker: I cannot abandon my man Walker this week even with a field with this much depth. He’s played 23 consecutive weekends on TOUR and he’s an excellent putter to boot. He’s finished T30 or better in 12 of 14 events this year.

Keegan Bradley: He’ll be disappointed that he couldn’t knock out Sang-Moon Bae at HPBNC but he’ll enjoy that he’s back on form after a three tournament stretch of T54, MC and MC. Bradley has MC in his only two attempts here but it’s still a course where he can swing the driver and devour par fives.

Billy Horschel: If anyone off the list of “first-timers” is going to swoop in and steal this tournament, not many of us would be surprised if it would be Horschel. He’s made 21 of his last 22 cuts with his only miss coming at THE PLAYERS so that’s hardly sounding alarm bells. He’s fourth in total putting and sixth in the all-around so if his irons are dialed in there is no reason to think that he cannot contend. He’s hot and confident and there’s nothing wrong with that combo!

Bo Van Pelt: He’ll be excited to be back in Middle America on course just a couple hours from where he grew up and he hasn’t disappointed very often. Van Pelt has chalked up finishes of T3, T13 and T13 in his last three starts at Muirfield and has made five weekends on the bounce. In a field of BIG NAMES he might just be the one to sneak under the radar and move up the standings.

Branden Grace: He’s bagged nine of 10 cuts on the European Tour this season and finished T25 here last year. He was a semifinalist at the Volvo Match Play and backed that up with T24 at Wentworth last weekend.

Jason Day: The Columbus resident is hard to shy away from this week as he’s pegged 11 weekends from 11 starts in 2013. His two weekend 72s stunted his 68-66 middle rounds at HPBNC to see him finish T27 in his last time out.

Kevin Streelman: Here’s an example of how past performance anywhere should be thrown out the window when measuring a player week in and week out. Streelman is in the form of his career and the only reason he missed last weekend was because of an errant six-footer on his final hole. He was T7 here in 2011 and is playing great golf so one weekend won’t deter me in the short term.

Marc Leishman: Last week made it five consecutive weekends in a row for the Aussie who hasn’t fired over 73 in those 20 rounds. His T46 would be disappointing to those who were late to his party and based on his four T12s or better before last week, I’ll take another look before I jump off. That form is too solid to dismiss.

K. J. Choi: Only four of his last 18 rounds have been in the 60s but he’s made 12 of 13 cuts at Memorial so he has that going for him, which is nice. He can scramble with the best of him and he obviously knows what it takes to win around this track so I’ll go with his proven track record instead of reaching for an up-and-comer.

Off the Beaten Path

Either “horse-for-course”, guys off the radar or both

Ricky Barnes: He’s played on three tournaments here but he’s finished T3, T18 and T25 in those outings so he falls into “horse-for-course” this week. He showed signs of life with T12 at HPBNC yet fired 68-73 at Colonial to miss the weekend.

Stewart Cink: Just like Jim Furyk, Cink has teed it up 17 times here and found the top 10 six times. Digging deeper, 11 of those 17 starts have resulted in T30 or better so he’s worth a gander in deeper formats this week. He’ll be happy to see Dublin after MC at THE PLAYERS and Colonial.

Ryan Moore: In his last seven tournaments he’s posted a round of 75 or worse so buyer-beware. The reason he makes this list this week is he is six of seven here and that includes three top 10s. High risk, possible high reward.

Jonathan Byrd: He was T3 in 2009, MC in 2010, T7 in 2011 and T6 last year. He’s missed five of seven cuts on his way back after wrist surgery and hasn’t finished better than T66 so here’s your winner this week!

John Huh: The Dallas resident racked up his best two finishes of 2013 at HPBNC and Colonial in the last two weeks finishing T8 and T11. Throw on top of that he finished T19 last year and that tells me he loves Bentgrass greens. His closing 65 on Sunday at Colonial was T2 for round of the day.

Matt Every: He’s known to get hot in bunches and the numbers fall into place this week. He was T6 here last year and T4 last week at Colonial and I like the fact that he’s playing a ton this year. He hasn’t fired over 72 in his last four events.

Charley Hoffman: He hits plenty of greens and his putting is excellent, 21st in strokes gained as he’s bagged T20 or better in five of his last seven starts including T18 and T8 the last two weeks in Texas. He’s the perfect fit this week because he’s never been better than T42 at Memorial. Oh, you think I’m joking?!?!

Take It Deep

Long shots.

Josh Teater: He stood up and was counted at Torrey Pines as he finished T2 to Woods in a big field in February. He’s not going to register on most radars this week but he was the medalist for The Open qualifying in Texas last week and then backed that up with T7 at Colonial. He’s quietly 17th in the all-around ranking as well. Hop on board!

Scott Stallings: Speaking of guys who get hot in a hurry, Stallings posted his first top 10 since his birdie barrage at Humana with his T4 last week on a ball-strikers course. Huh? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Stallings was T20 two years ago and T25 last year so he should be brimming with confidence this week.

Mark Wilson: He’s hit the top 10 in two of his last four starts here. He’s hit the top 10 in two of his last three starts on TOUR.

Chris Stroud: Have putter, will travel as Stroud hit the top 10 last week at Colonial. He’s never broken 74 in two trips to Memorial but he’s posted two top 10s in his last five starts on TOUR.

Pack Lightly

These folks have struggled on this track or in general recently. Each week, one player from this list seems to hit the top 10. Figure that out, right?

Bubba Watson: I’m usually a big Watson guy but his best finish in seven tries is T23 twice. For where you have to play or draft Watson this is enough to look the other way this week.

Bill Haas: After MCing in back-to-back events and not posting anything better than T30 in seven starts here I shalln’t be endorsing Haas this week. He’s 142nd in total putting.

Dustin Johnson: I’ll let him get back on it after his WD from THE PLAYERS. Field is deep enough that I don’t have to “back” him this week. See what I did there? Of course you did…

Rookie of the Week Last Week

I keep an eye on the youngin’s each week to see who is making the most noise.

This will be another week where course experience will matter as Roger Maltbie (1976) is the only player to win in his first attempt at Muirfield Village. It was the inaugural year so somebody had to do it!

There have only been three players in history to make the Memorial their first victory on TOUR. Keith Fergus (1981), Kenny Perry (1991) and Tom Lehman (1994) are the answer to that trivia question. That will win you a pint at any bar if anyone is questioning your Memorial knowledge.

In 37 events, only seven internationals have entered the winner’s circle. Three of those players, Justin Rose (2010), K.J. Choi (2007) and Carl Pettersson (2006) have secured their title in the last seven years. #trendnotatrend

In 2013 10 of the 20 stroke-play events this season the 54-hole leader (or co-leader) have gone on to victory. Last week was the eighth time in nine weeks where the 54-hole leader(s) have not held up as Matt Kuchar was caught and passed by Boo Weekley. Only Tiger Woods has held up his end of the bargain in that stretch.

The young folks (30 and younger) now have nine victories; the 30-somethings have racked up 11 victories, and the “old folks” (40 and up) have their two wins. This week’s “great hope” for the Old folks was Steve Flesch! He was just two shots off the lead heading into Sunday before his 73 knocked him back to T22. For a guy who hasn’t played much golf, a tip of the cap is in order! Flesch, intererestingly enough, will be inside the ropes again this week but this time as a commentator for the Golf Channel!

Rank and File

This week, as of Monday afternoon, 31 of the top 50 OWGR are teeing it up this week, including the top six.

Of Course

Jack Nicklaus and Desmond Muirhead created Muirfield Village Golf Club at the same time that Nicklaus was in the prime of his golfing career. It’s hard to imagine Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson putting in this kind of work as they are chasing down majors. The times they have changed. Sure, Woods has his name on a tournament each year but it’s not like he build and designed the course or created a TOUR event by doing so. Nicklaus again proved that having balance in family and professional life was the key to his success inside and outside the ropes.

The Muirfield Village Golf Club was also ahead of its time as the course design also took the spectator into account. Nicklaus envisioned a golf course and golf tournament that would be the envy of the professional and spectator world. Mounds were developed around holes which created a natural amphitheater setting to take in all the action. Also, the course was designed with the player in mind as well. Generous fairways and slick, tiered putting greens will give the players plenty of chances for birdies but the thick rough around the greens will also penalize those who are inaccurate. Last year Muirfield Village ranked as the No. 6 most difficult course on TOUR as it played 1.6 shots over par for the week.

The winning formula this week will be guys who are experienced and are excellent iron players. Steve Stricker (2011) and Carl Pettersson (2006) are the only recent champions who aren’t considered in that grouping as they are more known for their talents on and around the greens. With the generous fairways in play this week driving accuracy can be overlooked. Remember, players who hit the most greens have the most chances to make birdie and with the average winning score over the last decade being around 14-under, the fellas will need a few of those to be in the mix this week.

Top 10 Plus One

Tiger Woods: What a difference a year makes, eh? This time last year we were all wondering when Woods would return to his old, dominating self and he showed us he was on that track after his beauty chip-in on No. 16 on Sunday to seal his fifth victory here. The question for gamers in 2013 has been to “save him” or “use him”. Those of you who bagged $1,710,000 at THE PLAYERS on him don’t have to answer that. Neither do the folks who cashed on him at Torrey Pines, Doral or Bay Hill. I’m taking one for the team this week and leaving him out of my one-and-done. #urwelcome

Justin Rose: The 2010 champion is a threat any time he tees it up and this week is not any different for me. Sure he didn’t play as well as gamers would have liked at Wentworth but he should pop right back to form this week. In eight starts at the Memorial, he’s finished in the top 10 in half of them including solo eighth last year. He’s fifth in ball-striking and eighth in scrambling and will have four par-fives to take advantage of this week as well.

Matt Kuchar: After leading through 54-holes last week, Kuchar will be disappointed he didn’t close the deal but he’s a big-time pro and that’s not going to bother him this week. In 2007 he finished T13 to kick off a run of T10, T5, T8 and T2 in his last visit in 2011. I think he’ll be just fine this week on this track. Remember, Kuchar has not missed a non-major cut in the US since May 2010. That’s gold in fantasy land!

Lee Westwood: Again, another player who didn’t fire last Sunday doesn’t concern me one bit this week. In Westwood’s last four tournaments stateside he’s racked up T10 (Shell), T8 (Masters), T4 (Wells Fargo) and T8 at THE PLAYERS. Believe it or not but he’s currently fifth in scrambling and 67th in total putting on TOUR.

Adam Scott: The lightly-raced Scott is flying high after his 2013 Masters championship and he back that up with a solid T19 at THE PLAYERS. I always wonder about guys coming off lay-offs but the better the player, the less I worry and Scott fits that description. He’ll be asked a few questions about lining up lawyers to fight the anchoring ban but his talent and his caddy shouldn’t be disregarded this week.

Luke Donald: He arrived home early from Wentworth last weekend after firing 78-72 in less than stellar golfing conditions so jet lag of any sort goes out the window here. Donald, like Stricker, has had plenty of success here as he’s finished no worse than T14 in his last four starts over the last five years. He also has a T6 and T7 in that span so he’s proven to be a contender on this track.

Rory McIlroy: Another victim to the cut last week in England, McIlroy seems to be in the news for everything except his golfing prowess. His short spat with Graeme McDowell is now over but McIlroy is changing management groups again and that was the pre-tournament focus at Wentworth. Gamers shouldn’t forget that his history at Wentworth is nothing short of awful so a MC should not have come as much surprise. His last two events stateside have been very “Lee Westwood-ian” as he finished T10 at Wells Fargo and T8 at THE PLAYERS. He did fire 71-79 last year to start the latest “what’s happened to McIlroy” rubbish but he did post fifth and T10 the two previous years before last.

Charl Schwartzel: After MC last week at Colonial some folks might run for the hills but his 70-70 didn’t exactly show any regression, especially on a course he was playing for his first time. He’s plenty long, hits tons of greens and can putt with anyone so I have no problem endorsing him again this week.

Jim Furyk: In 17 starts Furyk has won and hit the top 10 five other times. The veteran seems to have the same history at every course he tees it up and that’s a sign of a great career. Furyk has not won on TOUR since 2010 when he won the FedExCup championship but I’ll take steady over lightning in a bottle most weeks.

Webb Simpson: His short game will be the reason he’s either in or out of the top 25 this week as he’s currently 30th in scrambling and 33rd in total putting. He’s another premium player that I have a hard time leaving out of any event as his game assimilates to every type of course.

Brandt Snedeker: It was here last season that Snedeker suffered his second injury set-back of the campaign as he WD with a rib injury. Any time I hear the words “slick greens” he jumps up to the top of the list. This would seem to be a course that sets up for his game perfectly but he’s 0-5 in his career here. I have faith in the “new” Snedeker that he’ll be just fine this week after his performance and the Masters and THE PLAYERS.

Don’t Overlook

These guys just missed out

Zach Johnson: If I’m looking for a guy who’s getting ready to break out, I’ll look to Johnson this week after his podium finish (third) last week on the Bentgrass greens at Colonial. He was also T5 in GIR last week and that won’t hurt around Muirfield Village. His lack of course history could be a concern but I’ll take the hot play over course form any week.

Jimmy Walker: I cannot abandon my man Walker this week even with a field with this much depth. He’s played 23 consecutive weekends on TOUR and he’s an excellent putter to boot. He’s finished T30 or better in 12 of 14 events this year.

Keegan Bradley: He’ll be disappointed that he couldn’t knock out Sang-Moon Bae at HPBNC but he’ll enjoy that he’s back on form after a three tournament stretch of T54, MC and MC. Bradley has MC in his only two attempts here but it’s still a course where he can swing the driver and devour par fives.

Billy Horschel: If anyone off the list of “first-timers” is going to swoop in and steal this tournament, not many of us would be surprised if it would be Horschel. He’s made 21 of his last 22 cuts with his only miss coming at THE PLAYERS so that’s hardly sounding alarm bells. He’s fourth in total putting and sixth in the all-around so if his irons are dialed in there is no reason to think that he cannot contend. He’s hot and confident and there’s nothing wrong with that combo!

Bo Van Pelt: He’ll be excited to be back in Middle America on course just a couple hours from where he grew up and he hasn’t disappointed very often. Van Pelt has chalked up finishes of T3, T13 and T13 in his last three starts at Muirfield and has made five weekends on the bounce. In a field of BIG NAMES he might just be the one to sneak under the radar and move up the standings.

Branden Grace: He’s bagged nine of 10 cuts on the European Tour this season and finished T25 here last year. He was a semifinalist at the Volvo Match Play and backed that up with T24 at Wentworth last weekend.

Jason Day: The Columbus resident is hard to shy away from this week as he’s pegged 11 weekends from 11 starts in 2013. His two weekend 72s stunted his 68-66 middle rounds at HPBNC to see him finish T27 in his last time out.

Kevin Streelman: Here’s an example of how past performance anywhere should be thrown out the window when measuring a player week in and week out. Streelman is in the form of his career and the only reason he missed last weekend was because of an errant six-footer on his final hole. He was T7 here in 2011 and is playing great golf so one weekend won’t deter me in the short term.

Marc Leishman: Last week made it five consecutive weekends in a row for the Aussie who hasn’t fired over 73 in those 20 rounds. His T46 would be disappointing to those who were late to his party and based on his four T12s or better before last week, I’ll take another look before I jump off. That form is too solid to dismiss.

K. J. Choi: Only four of his last 18 rounds have been in the 60s but he’s made 12 of 13 cuts at Memorial so he has that going for him, which is nice. He can scramble with the best of him and he obviously knows what it takes to win around this track so I’ll go with his proven track record instead of reaching for an up-and-comer.

Off the Beaten Path

Either “horse-for-course”, guys off the radar or both

Ricky Barnes: He’s played on three tournaments here but he’s finished T3, T18 and T25 in those outings so he falls into “horse-for-course” this week. He showed signs of life with T12 at HPBNC yet fired 68-73 at Colonial to miss the weekend.

Stewart Cink: Just like Jim Furyk, Cink has teed it up 17 times here and found the top 10 six times. Digging deeper, 11 of those 17 starts have resulted in T30 or better so he’s worth a gander in deeper formats this week. He’ll be happy to see Dublin after MC at THE PLAYERS and Colonial.

Ryan Moore: In his last seven tournaments he’s posted a round of 75 or worse so buyer-beware. The reason he makes this list this week is he is six of seven here and that includes three top 10s. High risk, possible high reward.

Jonathan Byrd: He was T3 in 2009, MC in 2010, T7 in 2011 and T6 last year. He’s missed five of seven cuts on his way back after wrist surgery and hasn’t finished better than T66 so here’s your winner this week!

John Huh: The Dallas resident racked up his best two finishes of 2013 at HPBNC and Colonial in the last two weeks finishing T8 and T11. Throw on top of that he finished T19 last year and that tells me he loves Bentgrass greens. His closing 65 on Sunday at Colonial was T2 for round of the day.

Matt Every: He’s known to get hot in bunches and the numbers fall into place this week. He was T6 here last year and T4 last week at Colonial and I like the fact that he’s playing a ton this year. He hasn’t fired over 72 in his last four events.

Charley Hoffman: He hits plenty of greens and his putting is excellent, 21st in strokes gained as he’s bagged T20 or better in five of his last seven starts including T18 and T8 the last two weeks in Texas. He’s the perfect fit this week because he’s never been better than T42 at Memorial. Oh, you think I’m joking?!?!

Take It Deep

Long shots.

Josh Teater: He stood up and was counted at Torrey Pines as he finished T2 to Woods in a big field in February. He’s not going to register on most radars this week but he was the medalist for The Open qualifying in Texas last week and then backed that up with T7 at Colonial. He’s quietly 17th in the all-around ranking as well. Hop on board!

Scott Stallings: Speaking of guys who get hot in a hurry, Stallings posted his first top 10 since his birdie barrage at Humana with his T4 last week on a ball-strikers course. Huh? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Stallings was T20 two years ago and T25 last year so he should be brimming with confidence this week.

Mark Wilson: He’s hit the top 10 in two of his last four starts here. He’s hit the top 10 in two of his last three starts on TOUR.

Chris Stroud: Have putter, will travel as Stroud hit the top 10 last week at Colonial. He’s never broken 74 in two trips to Memorial but he’s posted two top 10s in his last five starts on TOUR.

Pack Lightly

These folks have struggled on this track or in general recently. Each week, one player from this list seems to hit the top 10. Figure that out, right?

Bubba Watson: I’m usually a big Watson guy but his best finish in seven tries is T23 twice. For where you have to play or draft Watson this is enough to look the other way this week.

Bill Haas: After MCing in back-to-back events and not posting anything better than T30 in seven starts here I shalln’t be endorsing Haas this week. He’s 142nd in total putting.

Dustin Johnson: I’ll let him get back on it after his WD from THE PLAYERS. Field is deep enough that I don’t have to “back” him this week. See what I did there? Of course you did…

Rookie of the Week Last Week

I keep an eye on the youngin’s each week to see who is making the most noise.

Tiger Woods—He’s a four-time winner this year and he returns to a course where he has five victories. He is impossible to fade this week.

Rory McIlroy-- Last week's weather at the BMW PGA Championship was so bad that I just striking a line through it for players like McIlroy and Luke Donald. McIlroy was playing well before last week and he has a nice record at The Memorial of two top 10s (T10 in '10, fifth in '11) in three career starts.

Justin Rose—He’s hitting a little tough patch in here, but prior to THE PLAYERS he was playing very well. His record at The Memorial is very good, with four top 10s in eight career starts including a championship in '10.

Matt Kuchar-- He played great last week and he finished in second place despite hitting everything left off the tee in the final round. His recent record at Muirfield is very good with four consecutive top 10s with the best finish being a T2 in '11.

Luke Donald-- Last week the weather was so bad in England that I'm ignoring his missed cut. He’s finished in the top 14 in his last four starts at Muirfield Village.

Webb Simpson- A tough call in this group between Keegan Bradley and Webb Simpson as Bradley looked good in his second place at the Byron Nelson but Simpson has better history at The Memorial. I'm going with Simpson because of his better record and that on my team I have more starts left with him then Bradley.

Adam Scott-- There was a chance of a letdown at THE PLAYERS after his Masters win, but he played well on route to a T19 finish. His record at The Memorial is decent with two top 10s in seven career starts.

Lee Westwood-- He looked good at THE PLAYERS, where he tied for eighth place and he survived the horrible weather last week at the BMW PGA Championship en route to a T19 finish. The Memorial is not one of Westwood's normal tournaments and as a result his one start long ago here will not give any insight.

Ned Brown is a long-time contributor for Rotoworld Golf. He’s had documented success in Yahoo!’s game for years. Even if you’re confident in your selections for that game, give his insight a read. Ned also provides us with his GolfChannel.com Fantasy Challenge selections as well!

“Pure Spin”

Points last week: 185

Points this year: 3,493

Overall Ranking: (121; 99th percentile)

Coming Wednesday

And the analysis doesn't end here. Rotoworld's Rob Bolton and I will be co-hosting a one-hour live chat WEDNESDAY at NOON ET. We will be breaking down the field at the Memorial and answering your questions. Simply return to the golf home page to join in on the chatter. Don’t forget to follow Rob (http://twitter.com/RobBoltonGolf) and Glass (http://twitter.com/GlassWGCL) on Twitter.